A couple of weeks back we'd arranged to drop my mum and dad off at the theatre in Birmingham so they didn't have to drive. Birmingham is a good 50 minute drive so we decided that whilst they spent a couple of hours seeing a show (Blues Brothers) we'd find a nice restaurant for a bite to eat. We finally settled on Miller and Carter in the Mailbox as it had some good reviews.
28/04/2016
25/04/2016
18/04/2016
Bedtime Digital Detox || Time to switch off
It's no secret that I don't get enough sleep. I've never, ever been a good sleeper, I don't think I know what a good night sleep is. BUT, I don't think I help myself, in fact I know I don't. Mr C and I don't go to sleep early. EVER. We're both of the opinion that life's too short to go to bed early every night, and you'll get plenty of sleep when you're dead right?! Just lately though we've been going up to bed early-ish (9.30-10pm) but still not going to sleep until gone midnight! No, get your minds out the gutter you filthy lot, there's none of that going on, we end up frazzling our brains even more by picking up the iPads and phones as we get into bed! Nice and restful hey?!
15/04/2016
Collagen PIN || Medizen Clinic
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On 24th March I had my first collagen PIN treatment at Medizen in Sutton Coldfield and as promised I'm sharing the details and the pics, although they are perhaps a tad gruesome, don't say you weren't warned. I'm doing a Kim K on you!!!
What is collagen PIN/micro-needling?
The collagen bit is easy. PIN stands for percutaneous induction needling, also known as micro-needling. Micro-needling is a treatment where micro needles penetrate the skin causing a controlled wound which will then lead to the skin producing growth factors, collagen and elastin, all of which deplete as we get older. I don't know all of the science-y bit (wish I did) but this treatment can help to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, open pores, brighten dull skin and generally help with all round facial rejuvenation. Sounds good hey? Some of you may have heard of, or even had the micro-needling roller but they are now considered the previous generation of needling devices with the newer PIN causing less damage to the skin, offering quicker healing and higher rates of success. Manual rollers have a fixed needle depth whereas the PIN offers adjustable needle depth which is great when treating different areas of the face.
It goes without saying that I did a lot of research on the procedure and clinics before jumping in. I have to be 100% comfortable with the clinic and the staff or I won't even entertain going for any type of treatment. If the staff are rude, inefficient or unfriendly in any way, shape or form, no matter how small I will not go back, whether they have the best reputation or not, I have to feel comfortable in my surroundings and happy in their care.
I opted to go to Medizen after Antonia Mariconda mentioned she had her hydrafacial there, so thanks Antonia, I would't have found them otherwise. OK, so it's not on my doorstep but they're only a 50 minute drive away. At my first consultation I met Mary-Jane who did my skin analysis and then had a good chat with me my about my options. I instantly felt comfortable with Mary-Jane, she took the time to listen to my concerns and explained everything, which is what you need isn't it? No-one wants to feel rushed or even worse pressurised into believing you need this treatment and that treatment. I was more than happy to put my face in her hands.
So without further ado, here I am with numbing cream slapped all over my face!! I sat with this on for half an hour.
And then it began. Mary-Jane told me everything she was doing along the way, even showing me the unpacking of the new sterile needles. I wrongly assumed that the lip area would be the most painful but she promptly told me it's actually the forehead as the skin is thinner here, she was not wrong!
08/04/2016
04/04/2016
Walk yourself fit || Get outdoors
As soon as the nice sunny Spring days arrive Mr C and I are desperate to get out in the fresh air after being cooped up all winter. We both love to go walking, it's great for the body and the mind. I've said a hundred times on this ere blog that we're so lucky to have so much countryside and things to do on our doorstep. Just to warn you there's a lot of photos in this post as I couldn't help myself!
I keep promising myself that I'm going to ramp up my fitness programme, well, start it even, so with yesterday being a rather warm and sunny day we were off. After a late breakfast we packed my small rucksack (although Mr C carried it) with waterproof light jackets, water, small flasks of coffee and a bar of chocolate so we could have a little pitstop. We walked a short distance through our village, alongside the quarry and then on to the reservoir. We knew we were likely to encounter some mud after all the rain we'd had and Mr C was sensible and had his walking boots on with gaitors but I opted for my wellies rather than my walking boots as I have no gaitors and I'm glad I did in the end as you'll see later on.
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